Dead mans Legacy

The man’s voice came, cracked and reedy, out of the tape recorder. The little grubby grey box playing haltingly, as if it begrudged the listeners every word that it released from the scarred depths of its inner workings.

“The virus is spreading quickly, any contact with an infected and you fall ill, from what we can tell its one hundred percent communicable and ninety nine point nine nine percent fatal. Even if you don’t die you’re crippled, the damage done to your body is just too extreme to heal.

We know how its spread now, droplet infection, airborne. Just seventeen viruses are enough to begin the cycle and what a cycle it is. First your pituitary gland gives out, telling your body its freezing to death, in response your core temperature shoots up while blood is cut of from your extremities. It’s in your brain at this point, making you close off capillaries to your skin, bleeding you white. This stage lasts for up to a week if the infected is strong enough, but by the time of death your flesh is rotting on your bones.

Not a nice way to go. Hank McCoy reckons it’s a mutation of the Legacy Virus and I have to say I agree with him, the two look remarkably similar. Pity McCoy’s dead, he probably would have found a cure if he’d not caught it. Our group is all infected, were holing up here to die, we all know it but none of us will admit it. They virus dies in a week once its host expires. If you’re hearing this before the fourteenth of August, don’t go anywhere, you’re infected.”

The tape cut out abruptly, leaving the air inside the shack full of white noise and the stink of rotting flesh. The five men looked at Maelstrom as she carefully put the recorder down next to the body they had found it by. Cryo was the first to break the silence.

“Like he said, this is bad. What’s the date?”

Gambler sighed and leant back against the wooden wall of the building and then hurriedly stood up again as it creaked ominously.

“Relax, it’s the twenty first were in the clear.”

No one relaxed, the fear hadn’t gone away. There was no point leaving now in a panic, if the virus was here they were all infected anyway. Outside the wind howled, clawing at the thin walls like some beast of legend seeking entry, blowing sand into the room through the cracks in the planking. Small dust devils swirled around their feet as they stood.

“Lets keep moving, Mael bring that tape along it may prove useful.”

Once again Gambler took command and they all obeyed, trooping out of the sad little house and away from the bodies it contained. The sun was hot in the open, beating down upon the unprotected heads of the travellers. One by one they crammed into the blue station wagon, with Gambler and DarkChild in the front and everyone else in the back seat and trunk. Maelstrom, as the only flier of the group took to the air and raced off down the road, he hair streaming in the wind.

“So who were those guys?” Cryo asked inquisitively.

It was sometimes hard to remember but he was really still a kid. Close in age to Venger than to the rest of the group. Unlike Venger however he had a cheerful disposition and was not prone to surliness.

“No idea” Spectrum mumbled.

Out of the group he was probably the best versed in what was going on and was acting in the role of a medic. Checking for signs of infection and administering first aid. In any other circumstances it would have been funny to see the great scientist working as a common doctor, but these were strange times.

Venger looked out the window as Gamber keyed the ignition and pulled the car back onto the desolate motorway. He sighed and brushed his long hair out of his eyes.

“The one with the recorder was my father.”

No one spoke. They had all known Switch, either by reputation or in person and it was hard to imagine him dying of a virus. He was the sort who went out with a bang, with a dead enemy at their feet and a smile on their face. Something was in the road up ahead and Gamber slowed, trying to make it out. With a sudden cry he slammed on the brakes and twisted the wheel slewing the car around in front of the object. Venger as Gambler leapt out and ran towards his wife shouting at the top of his voice.

“No! no! no! no! baby, be alright, baby, please be alright.!”

But she didn’t move. Gambler knelt and cradled her head in his arms, tears rolling down his face. Cryo stood, half out of the door, shocked by what he was seeing while spectrum hurriedly took Maelstroms pulse. It was there but weak.

“We need to get her to a hospital! Now!” he shouted and scooped her up in his arms, laying her limp form in the trunk of the car. Gambler scrambled back into the car and put his foot down, with a squeal or burning tires they were off.

Gambler snatched a glance over his shoulder as he pushed the car to its limits. They were travelling at over 100 kmph and any mistake would prove costly. Maelstrom was lying, as still as the grave. Her orange skin oddly pale against her bright hair.

“Hold on honey!” he shouted and turned back to the road.

Beside him in the passenger seat Dark Child was flicking through the radio stations looking for the emergency channel. He swore and looked at Gambler apologetically.

“It’s not here bro, its gone off the air.”

Only Maelstroms laboured breathing could be heard over the sound of the engine as Gambler coaxed every bit of speed out of it. In the back Cryo’s ear pricked up, he listened for a few seconds and then started to wriggle. Desperately trying to get out from between Vengers shoulder and Arrows elbow.

“Do you guys hear that?” he asked.

The steering wheel jerked in Gamblers hands, he swore and wrestled with it, trying to keep the speeding station wagon on the road. Cryo called out in fear at something only he could hear as the wheel jerked again, tearing free from Gamblers grasp. The station wagon flipped, ploughing up the road as it tumbled down the tarmac.

The six of them were thrown around inside like beads in a maraca. The sound of tearing metal filling their ears. With an abruptness that shocked those who were still conscious the car came to rest. Gamblers head was resting against the horn but he seemed unawares, the blaring echoed out into the open desert.

With a scream of twisting metal DC kicked the door off. He turned back inside and grabbed Gambler by the collar, hauling him outside and throwing him down. He walked around the back to find Arrow pulling Cryo’s unconscious form out through the shattered remains of the trunk. A dozen feet away Venger sat up, holding his head in his hands. Maelstrom was half in half out of the car while Spectrum was covered in lacerations where he had caught a facefull of breaking window.

“Ah hell DC muttered, looking at the sky.

A black cloud was funnelling in from the west, moving against the wind. Another cloud was moving out from beneath the car. Buzzing filled the air, seeming to enter their very heads. Arrow winced as Cryo came around and grabbed at his broken arm in fear. A swarm of insects, many millions of individuals strong was bearing down upon the crash. The angry beating of their wings causing the air itself to vibrate.

Around a hundred feet away from the waiting group they coalesced into a single humanoid form, crawling over and over each other in a swirling mass that caused the things skin to move. DC helped Gambler to his feet, the Cajun leaning heavily on his old friend. The swarm halted in front of the car and seemed to survey them for a few moments.

Arrow stepped forward, his thin face pale as he drew the sword of souls one handed. Then the familiar adrenaline rush kicked in and the pain receded. With a guttural cry he leapt forwards, black magic snaking out from his fingers, tearing through the swarm. Hundreds of individuals died, but the entity remained. With another snakelike hiss it broke apart and reformed behind the tall warrior. Arrow span, just in time to take a massive fist to the face and collapse to the ground, his body limp.

DC launched a two handed blast at it, scattering an arm. The swirling cloud was directly overhead, thousands of insects flitting down to replace those lost. With a roar the beast grabbed Maelstrom and flung her away from the group out into the desert. Gambler cried out and started to run after her but Venger was quicker.

“I got her!” he yelled.

The young man sped away, drawing in the desert heat and converting it into pure kinetic energy to power his muscles. Maelstrom was losing height as they left the battle behind. With a grunt Venger jumped, hammering into her mid section, his arms wrapping around her body. Another sward descended out of the cloud and grabbed at the young man and his precious cargo. With a yell he struggled free and smashed into the ground, spraying soil and pebbles into the air.

The monster towered over Cryo, its seething features pressing up against his face. He growled and tried to unleash a torrent of ice that would freeze the creature in place. But the desert air was too dry.

“Gambler?” he whimpered

On the other side of the car DC blew a swarms head off only to have in reform and engulf him. Muffled swearing could be heard from the buzzing cloud and occasional flashes of light showed that he wasn’t taking things lying down. Gambler jumped over the car wreck, a dozen cards flicking towards the monster that was attacking Cryo. The series of explosions tore the creature apart, insects spinning in all directions only to reform again in meer moments.

Gambler ducked a swung fist and back flipped, trying to get some distance between him and the monster. It lumbered towards him, hissing like an angry snake. With difficulty he danced before it, avoiding its blows, desperately trying to think.

“Cryo! Give this thing something to think about!”

He dived away again as Cryo hobbled in front of the beast. It tried to grab him but he managed to avoid its questing arms. He stuck his ears up in the air and blew a raspberry. Gambler dashed over to the car and placed both of his hands on it; kinetic energy flowed from him into the dull metal. It started to glow, a dull cherry red glow pulsing our from the surface.

“Cryo get over here.”

The young werewolf cart wheeled out of the way of a blow only to be swatted away by the creatures other arm. It bellowed and charged at Gambler, arms raised. At the last moment he dived backwards, the meaty fists missing him by a hairs breadth. They smashed down onto the car and set off the energy. With a bright light and a dull boom the monster was blown backwards, coming apart as the individual insects died. But the battle was not over yet.

The black cloud descended fully, filling the air with a storm of insects. They hammered at Gambler, knocking him to the floor. Then abruptly the storm was gone but for a few stragglers that were still merging with the pile of insects that had engulfed DC. Slowly it straightened up to its full height and turned to Gambler.

“Shi……” he didn’t finish.

With uncharacteristic speed it leant forwards and grabbed him by the collar, hoisting the struggling man into the air.

“Now!”

Behind the beast Venger let go of Maelstrom and stepped back from her. Unsteadily she swayed on the spot, shaking her head.

“Do it!”

Reluctantly she raised an arm an pointed her closed fist at him. The beast swivelled to face them and roared a challenge. Maelstroms hand projected a constant beam of bright red light into Vengers chest. He cried out as his body converted it into electrical energy and sent it snaking towards the monster. Gambler was released and crumpled onto the floor. The monster shook for a few moments and then the stream of electricity failed and dissipated. Simultaneously Venger and the monster collapsed, smoking.

“Venger!” Maelstrom shouted and dropped down to his side.

She lifted his head and placed it in her lap, cradling it. His pulse was there, but only just. Slowly she rocked backwards and forwards, sobbing slightly under her breath. Vengers eyes crept open and his lips parted.

“Is this a bosom I see before me?”

She squealed and stood up laughing.

“I should have known that you were faking.”

He grunted as he pulled himself to his feet, brushing the dust of his jeans.

“Pity, I was going to cop a feel.”

Before Maelstrom could answer Gambler groaned and sat up, massaging his throat where the monster had grabbed him. Maelstrom ran to her husband and helped him to his feet, Venger forgotten. The pile of dead insects stirred and a hand shot up, Zombie style. After much clawing and coughing DC emerged, blackened with soot.